U.S. Naval Academy ends affirmative action in admissions

The U.S. Naval Academy will no longer consider race, ethnicity or sex as a factor for admission to the service institution, according to federal court documents made public Friday.

The change in policy was made in February by Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the academy’s superintendent, in response to an executive order issued by President Trump, according to a court filing by the U.S. Justice Department in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The president’s Jan. 27 order said that “every element of the Armed Forces should operate free from any preference based on race or sex.” It also directed the secretary of defense to conduct an internal review with respect to all “activities designed to promote a race- or sex-based preferences system,” including reviews at the service academies.